Rant Against the Machine

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Dorwin Awards... Olive it!!!

“You know, that's the most interesting part of the whole business. I admit that I thought his Lordship a most consummate donkey when I first met him – but it turned out that he is an accomplished diplomat and a most clever man. I took the liberty of recording all his statements.”

'The analysis was the most difficult of the three by all odds. When Houk, after two days of steady work, succeeded in eliminating meaningless statements, vague gibberish, useless qualifications—in short all the goo and dribble—he found he had nothing left. Everything canceled out. Lord Dorwin, gentlemen, in five days of discussion didn't say one @$#%^ thing, and said it so that you never noticed. There are the assurances you had from your precious Empire.”

You're probably familiar with the Darwin Awards, handed out each year to the people who do humanity the service of removing themselves from the gene pool in creative ways. I think it's time for a new one, named after one of Isaac Asimov's characters in the brilliant Foundation. Lord Dorwin comes to Terminus representing the Galactic Empire.

I hereby nominate Barack Obama for the First Annual Lord Dorwin Award. A better description of his campaign will never be penned. In two years of campaigning, he hasn't said one serious, meaningful thing, and said it so the electorate never noticed.

Quoting Mr. Arkin, "[his detractors] hide behind the constitution and the flag and then spew an anti-Democrat, anti-liberal, anti-journalism, anti-dissent, and anti-citizen message that reflects a certain contempt for the American people."

Let's parse that and see who is contemptable.... If we use math and divide each word by the common denominator ie "anti" we get this.....

You must be a Democrat, a liberal, a journalist, or a dissenter to be considered a citizen. And these "citizens" are the American people. In toto. The rest aren't "citizens" and can be ignored.

He is advocating for a class based society where his "citizens" are the recognized class for political purposes and discussions. No other person's views should be heard or acknowledged.

Next he will be advocating that these "citizens" are the only ones that should be allowed to vote.

Citizen is one of those words that are especially meaningful in the worlds of politics and government. It invokes the governing/consent to be governed contract. By narrowly defining this word, he endorses the very definitions that condoned slavery and the notion that some residents of the US should be counted as less than a full citizen.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

So the original Milton County wants to secede from Fulton County and it is because of racial issues? I don't think so. This article implies that the secession minded citizens are southerners still obsessed with separating themselves from blacks. However, 65% of the residents of the soon to be Milton County are transplanted northerners at some of the most "diversity minded" firms in the US.

The north county residents come from all cultures. They are not rednecks with rebel flags in their yards. They are doctors, lawyers, middle managers, pro sports athletes, teachers, bartenders, UPS drivers, and most of the icons of the Atlanta music scene. A diverse and multicultural mix of classes, cultures, and races with one common issue. They don't feel their county tax dollars are providing them with much in the way of county services.

The city of Atlanta politicians created this problem. They allowed county and city tax dollars to be used for vote buying schemes that bought their citizen's votes, but didn't protect their citizens quality of life. Verizon, Nortel, UPS, and other companies did not move into downtown Atlanta when they located their corporations to Atlanta. The crime level was too high and the property taxes levied on City of Atlanta businesses too obscene. And none of the politicians were seriously addressing these issues. Yet, the area is a major hub for transportation, with moderate climates, a relatively low cost of living and an ideal location for multi-national businesses.

The city of Atlanta tried to woo these companies to locate in the downtown and midtown areas, but they were offered little if any beneficial reasons to do so. The city's infrastructure is falling apart with little or no attempt at repair (other than to call for the federal government to fix it), the fire and police departments are underfunded and inadequate, there is little affordable land suitable for housing, and greenspace is disappearing. These companies, quite likely, decided that they didn't want to move to Atlanta proper to become cash cow substitutes for the feds.

These companies relocated to unincorporated northern Fulton County where they were welcomed with tax breaks, lower land costs, and plenty of open vistas to develop mixed use developments of housing, shopping and industry. And the workers followed. Now some in the county government, acting in concert with city of Atlanta politicians, are making noises about taxes on these companies and their workers to fund projects for downtown Atlanta. Not to fix the decrepit infrastructure, but for discretionary projects that solve none of the serious problems.

Miltonites are rightly saying "no, thanks." And not because of racism as this article implies. They are fighting to have their tax dollars invested in the northern part of the county, preventing it from the decay that is now plaguing the city of Atlanta. They have seen this future and they want no part of it.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

What's it All About, Jamil?

This guy's name has been published in papers around the world for months. His title and location were given by the AP in the stories as the source for the information. The man has been working in the same location probably traveling to/from work by the same route every day for the last year plus. If his remarks were an issue, I'm sure someone would have killed him by now. It's not like he has ever had a paid security contingent to see him safely about his duties. And it's not like they would have helped much if he were in danger. Men of much higher distinction than he is are gunned down every day in Baghdad. Did the AP put him in danger by not using a pseudonym in their reports and id'ing him as such? Or is he really in no more danger than the average Iraqi cop? Malkin knew less about him than the AP did, and reported no more than they (how could she), or are you claiming she is more widely read than the AP; therefore, Jamil is more widely known after her reportage than the APs? That is the only way her reporting could have “put his life in danger.”

The initial problem with the stories was not the mouthpiece. It was the verbage flowing forth. No other news sites reported the carnage that he claimed. The Iraqi government denied the claims of carnage that he reported and several of the AP’s own "corroborating sources" denied having talked to the AP or having sourced these stories. It was logical to question whether the Jamil source would also deny either sourcing the stories or the contents of the stories themselves. Every one of the “sources” seems to have gone on record one way or the other except Jamil. To date, the damage at the mosques has not been confirmed and the alleged victim's families have not aired the usual grievances against either the Iraqis or the US. This is pretty unusual for a potentially incendiary incident in the mid east. How do they expect to be compensated for their losses by the government as is middle-eastern custom, if they haven’t come forward?

The wire services usually all report on the same incidents and stories each day in multiple releases, so why are the stories by Jamil only covered by the AP? Surely the sources for other news outlets heard about the incidents, yet no reports surfaced that weren't referenced back to the original reportage by the AP. Why did they allow the AP to scoop all of the Jamil stories? Why did the AP stories change from release to release and why are the releases still being "tweaked" to this day? Did the AP rush rumors and gossip to press as news just for the scoop value? Is that the new standard for wire stories?

Back on Line

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Michael Horn - Tribute 2996 Project

I joined the 2996 project to pay tribute to one of the victims of 9/11 and honor his memory. I was assigned Michael Horn, aged 27. Little did I know how much this young man would become someone I would like to have called my friend. I did some research and googled and yahooed and scoured the internet for information about this new acquaintance of mine. True, I never "knew" him, but through the tributes posted at various sites around the net dedicated to the victims of that horrid day, I got to know about him and what he meant to those around him.

I learned that Mike was born on December 27, 1973. He lived in Lynbrook, New York and had wonderful parents, two sisters, Christine and Maureen, and an older brother, Charles. He was employed at Cantor Fitzgerald as a Software Support Technician. His office was on the 104th Floor of the North Tower. He attended Chaminade High School in Mineola, NY, where he ran track and excelled at wrestling, and went on to SUNY-Binghamton, studying History. He was a member of Chi Phi fraternity. After graduation, he traveled through Europe, especially Ireland, where he had family. He loved to camp and ski and loved the outdoors.

Those were the easy things to learn about him, but I still didn't know him. What kind of person was he? I found that he was serious, sometimes; loyal, always; jokester, most definitely. His brother, Charles told the New York Times that "he wanted to enjoy life...he was a good guy with a great heart." His sister, Maureen, e-mailed and said he was a "hilarious guy with an incredible spirit."

In Newsday he was honored as a "young technician with the gift of gab." He was renowned for telling stories and could always entertain a room full of people with his latest adventures. His friends still tell stories of his adventures, and those adventures usually involve minor mischiefs and major amounts of hilarity.

Mike was charismatic and attracted friends like bees to honey. Although he was still in high school, he was actually included in the 1993 Lehigh College yearbook. He hung out there with friends so often that the yearbook staff thought he attended school there, too! He left amusing phone messages - singing some little ditty he had written or trying on one of several accents he liked to use.

One Friday afternoon in high school, he got an itch to go to the beach - in South Carolina! He roped in his brother, Charles, and, twelve hours later, they were frolicking in the surf. Both made it home safely and in time for school Monday morning. Once while in Ireland, he called a friend who agreed to have a "quick" drink at the local pub as he was due to move that night. Midday the next day, the friend still had not moved; he had spent the night being regaled with stories that made the evening and the pints disappear. Mike could charm even the best Irish lads. And why not? He was the quintessential Irish-American.

He was generous and always ready to help a friend. He was an avid outdoorsman and always involved in sports. Anytime Mike went out, there were at least ten people in tow and ready for whatever adventure they could concoct. He was very close to his family, and his brother says that had Mike had his way "my mother would have been canonized." Mike was just settling into adulthood when the attacks came.

His family has a website where, to this day, old friends and relatives stop by to be reminded of him and to fondly recall some amusing story or to keep him and his family updated on the latest info. I am sure I will check in from time to time, just as they do, to remember this handsome, strapping, young lad who had a twinkle in his eye, a pint in his hand, and a ready story on his lips.

I admit that I still have much to learn about "Mikey," but I have gleaned from him a renewed appreciation of family and friends, and that with a little laughter and alot of joy, we can all make a difference in other people's lives - in ways great and small.

An Old Irish Prayer

Don't grieve for me, for now I'm freeI follow the plan God laid for me.I saw His face, I heard His call,I took His hand and left it all...I could not stay another day,To love, to laugh, to work or play;Tasks left undone must stay that way.And if my parting has left a void,Then fill it with remembered joy.A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss...Ah yes, these things I, too, shall miss.My life's been full, I've savoured much:Good times, good friends, a loved-one's touch.Perhaps my time seemed all too brief—Don't shorten yours with undue grief.Be not burdened with tears of sorrow,Enjoy the sunshine of the morrow.

Rest in peace, Michael Horn, and give God's ear a rest every now and again. I think his sides hurt from laughing.

We're All Warriors Now

Do you have survivor’s guilt? Yea I have that, too. But not because I could have been on the airplanes or in one of the towers or the Pentagon. One of the terrorists actually worked in a conv. store near my house. I spoke with him several times. Inane pleasantries masking his unbelievably disgusting ideas about me. For my part, I thought him nice, pleasant and somewhat of a flirt.

Until that day. No, not 9/11. About a week or two before. I went in for some milk and a coke and the atmosphere was evil. He was there, but not. No pleasantries, no personality. And then I saw them. About four to six sinister looking middle-easterners in robes and beards. Coming out of the back of the store. I had interrupted something, I know not what. He stared. They stared. The stare said "get out." It was condescending and then I remembered. A woman had interrupted a male meeting in an Arab-owned store. But it seemed much more than that. I tried to get him to snap out of it. I chatted insanely, but he was stone. I gave up. I paid and left. I lost that round in this war, but I didn’t know I was at war. I do now.

I wonder to this day what was really going on. I replay scenarios over and over again. The store is only a few miles from a CDC center that researches who knows what. I don't really want to know. But I do know. They do bioresearch on some pretty nasty things. This used to be the open lands of exurbia. Now it is suburbia. Surrounded by schools and homes and Americans they want to kill.

I contacted the FBI. I never heard from them, but the local news reported that he was one of the hijackers and that he had taken flying lessons at the airport nearby. So, they know. Maybe that was all he was here for, maybe not. I still can't bring myself to go into that store again. We refer to it as the "terrorist Texaco."

I wonder. I wait. And my television has never been off again. 24 hours, seven days a week. Always Fox News. If I watch another show, I change channels back during commercials. Just in case. I am gripped by the fact that my life has changed. By them. By him.

I don't go out as often as I used to. I am uncomfortable. I watch people now. Not "people watch," "watch people." There is a difference.

I wait, I watch, and I know. It will happen again. These creatures have changed me alright. They say "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" and they are right. I was scorned that day in that store by creatures that saw me as "dhimmi." Hell will be wrought, by me, without remorse or guilt. Neither I, nor my family, nor my kids, nor my kids kids will submit to their nightmare. The hell that will be wrought will be my tribute to the first warriors in this war, and I will not fail them. The first warriors on Flight 93 did not fail me or mine.

Friday, September 08, 2006

Were I Disney I'd Think Twice

If I were the Disney Company and ABC, I would think twice before pulling the 9-11 docudrama. The democrats may be threatening to pull their license, which they'll never do, but Disney should realize democrats aren't Disney's demographic consumers.

If the powers that be at Disney want to pull the docudrama, loyal Disney customers will think twice before that next vacation. It is safe to say that Disney is more a "republican" vacation hub than a "democratic" one, even if only from the standpoint that republicans are more likely to be married with children and would more likely attend the parks and buy the movies than democrats.

After speaking with some of the parents in my neck of the woods, many of whom make multiple trips to Disney each year, they are upset that the movie may be pulled. They want to watch and make up their own minds and are upset that Disney may cave. They realize that it is a docudrama, but also realize that Disney wouldn't play fast and loose with the facts and would, in general, be balanced.

Does Disney want to risk pain to its pocketbook from loyal customers, or does it want to bet that the democrats won't follow through on their threats? If it were me, I would bet on the customers.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Ahmadinejad attempted to justify Iran's nuclear program by stating "no one can deprive a nation of its rights based on its capabilities" and this is purportedly derived from Koranic teachings (his insistance).

So I will consider converting if he can, based on his statement, explain to me why this statement isn't also derived from the same source in the Koran and shouldn't be practiced by faithful muslims:

No one can deprive a person of his rights based on his capabilities.

Seems to me that if you can extrapolate the one, you can the other and then Islam runs into a problem. God (Allah) gave people their individual abilities (gifts).

How can any practitioner of Islam forbid a person to use God's gifts to the best of his ability regardless of what those gifts may be?

And if God gave them those gifts, he must approve of them and want us to use them.

So why can't intelligent women be educated to the maximum of their potential? Or sing, dance, compose, swim, do gymnastics, or anything else that the mullahs forbid?

And if God gave those gifts, he must want them to be used to glorify his greatness and to share them with others so we can exalt him for his generosity.

The religious police,at the behest of the leaders, punish people for listening to music, playing soccer and all sorts of other activities, so aren't they in violation of this passage sited by Ahmadinejad in the Koran?

And if their religious leaders and most of their followers are in violation of God's word, why in the world would I want to offend God and practice their religion?